Aircraft manufacturing plants protest U.S. halt on plane deal

Xinhuanet, 17 January 2006, 11:13:29

MADRID, Jan. 16 (Xinhuanet)—Six Spanish aircraft manufacturing
plants, belonging to defense equipment manufacturer Eads-Casa, staged
a five-minute work stoppage to protest the U.S. opposition to sales of
aircraft to Venezuela, local media reported on Monday.

Workers and managers in the plants in Cadiz, Seville, Madrid and
Toledo, stopped work at noon at the request of the managers committee
and blue-collar unions.

The United States refused an export licence for Spain to sell aircraft
containing U.S. technology to Venezuela. The U.S. patents apply to
some electronic equipment, which now have to be replaced. The Spanish
government quickly responded, saying the deal would be carried out by
using alternative technology.

US Ambassador Eduadrdo Aguirre said on Friday that his government had
denied the export licenses because such a sale implies a technology
transfer to Venezuela and it would “contribute to
destabilization” in Latin America.